President Trump: Reality Star embarks on Season 3

If you've been looking for an insight into Donald Trump that you cannot get from his loyal friends on Fox News of his detractors on MSNBC we have an insider who understands this President and his Administration. Our guide to the Trump brain is none other than Omarosa, the former Celebrity Apprentice star. Omarosa said Trump is a reality star and this is the start of Season 3.

Omarosa Manigault had great insights into how Reality TV keeps a show rocking for Season 3.
At the beginning of Season 3, the Hero often becomes the Heel.

A Heel is another term for villain. Trump may make himself a Heel for Season 3 so he can magically transform into a Hero for Season 4 and the 2020 election.

All this seemed farfetched until I heard Trump skewer John McCain, recently deceased Senator from Arizona and Vietnam War POW and war hero. Why attack Senator McCain? No good reason unless you want to keep your name at the top of the newsfeed.

Trump does know how change and movement keeps the Reality TV show fresh and alive. The whole notion of choosing Hero or Heel is very reminiscent of Vince McMahon and the WWE. Wrestlers decide in the locker room much of what will happen that night in the ring. They prepare themselves for the body slams and the folded metal chairs exploding against their foreheads.

The WWE kind of control and planning appeals to Trump's sense of the benefits of controlling the message.

Omarosa showed a talent for survival on Celebrity Apprentice. Donald Trump was impressed enough to carry her to the White Office. She bucked and complained when it was time for her to go. She demonstrated and ego and narcissism approaching the superhuman self-love of her mentor Mr. Trump. It takes one to know one.

Recognize the Trump election as America choosing Trump TV over Hillary TV. He definitely had media mastery over Hillary. Barack Obama snuck up on Hillary and defeated her partly because Barack was more watchable than Hillary.

Trump is a bare knuckles brawler who prefers election fights over governing. As President he has elevated his family's financial gains over the country's welfare. He has been consistent in his self-aggrandizement.

And now we get to look forward to the nicknames! Who will be the next Low Energy Jeb Bush... etc.? Elizabeth Warren struggles from under the Pocahontas label and may not escape it. Trump not only creates his own brand, he brands others and they continue to feel the sting for years afterward. Just like pro wrestling-- it's raw and over the top with good guys, bad guys and lots of trash talk.

And we keep watching.

Why the Left still doesn't get Trump?

Donald Trump is the name that never leaves our lips. It’s so intimate in a way. Trump in our head. Trump in our words. Trump in our frustrations. 

The Left rejects Trump for so many good reasons. 

Trump is:

·     Narcissistic

·     Greedy

·     Lacks empathy

·     Ignores climate degradation

·     Enriches the wealthy

All these are valid, but do not explain Trumps incredible ability to control the conversation. The pundits predicted he would lose hugely to Hillary Clinton. The pundits then told Trump to stop using Twitter. Of course he uses Twitter brilliantly.

The Left keeps insisting, on MSNBC, that his base is limited in number. At this point Trump supporters far outweigh any presidential candidiate emerging from the Democratic party. That could change quickly but time will tell. 

The Democrats need to understand Trump better if they intend to win in 2020.

The key to Trump—he’s not a literary man. We know he doesn’t like to read or ponder documents presented by his security analysts, etc.. What does Trump do that is so effective?

Let’s turn to the master media guru Marshall McLuhan to understand Trump better. Trump is a master of TV—the power of its images and the all-at-once nature of digital communications. 

Marshall McLuhan wrote in the 60s and 70s but understood the Internet before it existed. He pointed out that the “literary man” would be baffled by the speed and intimacy of our communications and the non-linear characteristics of our present day media environment. 

Communication now has more in common with villagers sitting around the campfire than with a NY Times article. The conversation is full of emotion and immediacy, and seems to be quite a bit of lying and propagandizing involved as well. This is McLuhan’s global village and Marshall did not promise it would be peaceful or pleasant. 

McLuhan had grave misgivings about the future of our electronic technology. Seems like many now recognize the downside of all this connectivity. But we must live with it and study it to maintain any sense of personal control.

Here is what Marshall McLuhan wrote in the Saturday Evening Post (August 10, 1968):

“But in a deep sense, TV bypasses the ballot box as a means of creating political “representatives.” TV is not concerned with views or interests or issues. It is a maker and finder of images that ride over all points ov view and over all age-groups as well. The TV image ends all national and party politics.

“… An all-at-once world, fashioned by electric information, demands a candidate full of puns and unexpected nuances. Such a man is one who knows so much about the contemporary interface of all cultures that he cannot possibly be deluded by any earnest regard for any them. The new changes are not moral but technological.”

Hope that helps! Go Dems! Remember this is not moral war—but a communications battle. Better learn the new technology!

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Blackface, White Frocks and Dems seeing Red

Virginia's leadership shows itself wanting: Governor Northam gets exposed for featuring racist imagery on his medical yearbook page, the Lieutenant Governor has been accused of sexual assault, and the Attorney General admits to wearing blackface getup at parties in his youth.

On the other end of the color spectrum... many of the newly elected women of Congress featured white garb at President Trump's State of the Union speech. Trump's most lighthearted moment occurred when he acknowledged the number of women elected to office and the white suits came alive with laughter and happiness. White is the color of spiritual purity.

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and many of her white-suited colleagues hope to change the world through visionary thinking and spiritual vigor. Just to add another color, she has proposed a Green New Deal, working to save the environment with a powerful plan like FDR's New Deal of the 1930s. The Congresswomen in white brought a nice change of pace to the the red/blue binary in the color wars.

Trump seemed to address AOC directly midway through the State of the Union. He addressed Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, progenitors of the new progressive wing of the Democratic Party,  stating "America will never be a socialist country." Trump compared the USA would have a similar outcome to tottering Venezuela should we go that route.

The color thing-- Republicans are the reds and Democrats the blue-- has a strange parallel to the the Bloods and Crips, famous street gangs of LA. Politics is a street fight, fought by rich and powerful in business suits but the partisanship of today has Democratic politicians in blue tie and Donald Trump and company more likely to go for the red cravat. Not much difference between a politician's tie and a street gang bandana in certain situations. Our reptilian brain kicks into action when our survival is at stake, no matter our social class or education.

Also in the area of political fashion statements. What's with Donald Trump and the long coats? Methinks he's feeling kingly and wants a robe like James Brown halfway through his act.

The Democratic representatives saw red when Interim Attorney General Matthew Whitaker took the congressional stand looking like Benito Mussolini's healthiest son. They attacked him unmercifully. They don't want him messing with the. Robert Mueller investigation. Whitaker proved dogged in refusing to answer questions about his conversations with Donald Trump. Whitaker was a piñata for the Democrats in his role as proxy for Trump. Maybe he got loyalty points from the president for absorbing the abuse though Jeff Sessions proved Trump has a short span for the loyalty of friends and/or allies. Michael Cohen never got a chance to take a bullet for President Trump-- but Matthew Whitaker did.

Maybe Roger Stone fancies himself the finest dresser of them all.

Paul Manafort... he's unpredictable and almost always shows bad judgment. Manafort is known for paying top dollar to achieve sartorial splendor and achieves nothing more than a Men's Warehouse look. Money cannot buy taste.

Different colors for different folks.

A Picture worth thousands of words... can end a career pronto

Ralph Northam, governor of Virginia, has insurmountable odds to overcome. An embarrassing photo can kill a career, electrocute the victim in a matter of hours. Just ask Al Franken.

Franken's career ending on a silly photo seems extreme-- and may be a case of new Puritanism causing harm unnecessarily. He acted like he was going to grasp the breasts of a sleeping colleague, a fellow performer, on a USO tour flight.

Northam has a weaker case. He complains that the photos of medical students in black face and Ku Klux Klan outfit is not him. Funny how he didn't think that when first accused. You cannot undo a picture once it has entered the psyche of the citizens. Voters rise from their couches when encountering a horrible visual image.

Somehow Donald Trump has escaped the impact of the new awareness. Call him Teflon Don just like we called John Gotti, the Mafia Don. John Gotti escaped the courtroom conviction every time until he didn't. Sammy the Bull's testimony proved too much. Hard to say if Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen of Roger Stone will ever bring such a result to the President....?

3 Photos That Changed the World

Three other photos since the late Sixties jump to mind. These consciousness-altering photos, non-sexual in nature, have influenced human awareness and political developments and hopefully do so.
Two are from the Vietnam War era and may have influenced our withdrawal from the war. The third is an image none of us can escape...;

1)The photo of a crying Vietnamese child,  Phan Thị Kim Phúc, now called the Napalm girl, as she runs stripped of clothes amid other fleeing villagers, to escape from an air attack. This is one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War. 

2) The summary execution of a handcuffed Vietnamese prisoner by General Ngoc Loan during Tet Offensive in 1968. Another frightening photo

3) The Blue Marble, the first photo of earth taken from space. The photo has changed consciousness, made us aware that national boundaries are of miniscule importance compared to our mutual dependence.

If the earth is to survive we must go back to this third photo--- as our point of reference. We only survive if we share. Share with other people, share with polar bears, share with trees, birds, bees and flowers.

Pollution may happen over here goes over there. Global climate change is exactly that-- global!

A picture of photograph-- may be worth a thousand word, or multi-thousands-- and these words change the world.

Nancy to Donald: Not in my House!

Nancy Pelosi didn't request a RSVP from  President Trump to the State of the Union address; in fact she uninvited him.

But Nancy Pelosi seems to have flummoxed Donald Trump. She brought something new to the table. Some call it "legislative experience" and others just pure confidence and toughness that brings her to confront the President on equal terms. Trump, not one who likes equal terms, looks around for leverage and instead takes a whipping from right-wingers Ann Coulter and Lou Dobbs. Those pundits, Ann the author and Lou the broadcaster, hurl insults at Trump-- "wimpiest President" ever or "Cave Man" as the New York Post dubbed Trump for caving to the Democrats no-wall position.

Details never trouble Donald Trump. He must be given credit for flexibility. The guy assumes more shapes than Hermes the god of speed, businessmen and thieves. He has had trouble transacting to the Pelosi refusal to invite him to her house, the House of Representatives, to give the State of the Union speech.

Pelosi's strategic response to the government shutdown was to disinvite Trump for the big State of the Union speech on supposed security concerns. Her move has been acknowledged as political genius. We've never seen it before so let's give the Lady Speaker credit.

Pelosi denied Trump a megaphone. Trump likes giving speeches more than just about anything else. He likes being the center of attention and feeling respected by important people. The environment for the State of the Union provides all those things but Donald got denied. Seemed to throw him off his game.

Maybe concerns about the Mueller investigation setting sights on Trump pals like longtime political crony Roger Stone made him more vulnerable. Trump has handled immense amount of pressure but does not age from  pressures of the presidency in the usual manner. Everything about the guy is unprecedented.

Watching the Democratic presidential candidate hopefuls step to the fore.

Older generation-- Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and did I hear Hillary Clinton's name mentioned...?

* Bernie-- a socialist at heart, set the progressive agenda now reflected by Democratic left-wing
* Joe-- has the "centrist" touch the Democrats need
* Hillary-- OMG

3 Female competitors-- Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris have all formally announced:

* Elizabeth-- a numbers person, shows an accountant instincts for rich people's thievery
* Kirsten-- may be a Republican in sheep's clothing, make that donkey's clothing
* Kamala-- smiles nicely with impeccable grooming, a tough DA type, somewhat intimidating

2 Billionaire independents-- Michael Bloomberg and Howard Schultz

* Michael-- capitalist but also Mayor of New York City, fights large soft-drinks and pollution
* Howard-- the former Starbucks CEO, business savvy, invented $5 coffee

The question for everybody considering the Democratic nomination. Can you beat Trump?

One candidate I've never heard mentioned-- Nancy Pelosi.

Trump Goes to the Mattresses

Donald Trump came into office just like a Mafia Don. Don Donald. Michael Flynn, the guy who led chants of “Lock her up,” and Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, began selling favors before the inauguration. Flynn could be seen making deals on his cellphone from the White House lawn. Cohen sought out multi-national companies and advertised his strong access to the President of the United States as a strong selling point.

No hesitation in these gangster types. They get a foot in the door and you have to pay them protection…. Or else. 

Trump took the same approach as his associates. Emoluments clause? Hell with it. I can run a business and the USA at the same time. He did not want to divest his business holdings and never did.

Trump has “played” politics just the way the recently risen Mafia Don works his crew, the streets and the civilians. Everything’s for me. Everybody sends a cut of their earnings  to the top. 

Donald Trump will steal your lunch money until you fight back. America has not fought back and he keeps gouging until the final dollar is pressed into his personal coffers. Don’t like it and you can try your best to get him out of office.

Office never mattered to much to Donald Trump. He loves the theater and confrontation of electoral politics and loves watching television. But a certain movie captures the Trump phenomenon, even better than Celebrity Apprentice.

In Casino, the 1995 Martin Scorsese film starring Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro, we get an insight into Donald Trump. 

Robert De Niro as Ace Rothstein is quietly running a casino in Vegas. The De Niro character translates to Barack Obama, a capable man doing an honest day’s work. Joe Pesci is Donald Trump—the guy who shows up like a tornado, kills the game for everybody else. 

The Joe Pesci character, based on Anthony Spilotro, a real life mob enforcer and hit man, arrives and things spiral downward and end with a thud. Joe’s character lacks self-control. He is programmed to hurt others. He lives only for himself. The Joe Pesci  character adds insult to injury by stealing and banging De Niro’s wife—Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna.

Okay, so Donald Trump never made a play for Michelle Obama. I’m sure she’s not his type. He likes tall women but prefers Eastern European and Russian woman. That’s how you end up with a daughter named Ivanka.

Trump’s daughter’s name does not imply he’s colluded or conspired with Russians. Trump’s most obvious trait—acquisitiveness—includes the element of bringing everybody else down. It’s not enough for him to win. The others, (i.e. the American citizenry) can fend for themselves. 

We must protect ourselves from Donald Trump’s habit of playing the game so hard, working the casino till every nickel has dropped out of the slot machine and then declaring bankruptcy. 

After 5 bankruptcies, including Atlantic City casinos, Trump moved to the next hustle. Bankers lost confidence in his Midas touch and Donald Trump went east to Moscow to find new bankers. 

Russia, as the banker of last resort, may prove to be the end of Trump. Putin is a better gangster, probably more cruel and efficient than the garrulous Donald Trump. Putin is more the Carlo Gambino style mob boss. He keeps quiet and motivates associates—called Russian oligarchs—to do his bidding. Putin is said to be the richest man in the world.

The Mueller probe gets closer to President Trump and Don Donald hires an army of lawyers. I heard 40 lawyers hired—but maybe 17, the more conservative number is accurate? In either case, that’s a lot of lawyers. 

Trump hiring an army of lawyers is a presidential version of the old Mafia term “going to the mattresses.” Mob wars required the Mafia soldiers to move into apartments and sleep on mattresses on the floor—until matters were settled. 

Trump’s two greatest assets are:

1)   His base of loyal voters

2)  His mastery of media communication

Like a good gangster movie, the two sides are lined against each other and ready to do battle. Carlo Gambino survived by following the traditional Mafia rule of omerta—silence when questioned by police and total loyalty to the mob family. But that is more Putin. Trump plays more like John Gotti—very fond of the spotlight and his notoriety.

Gotti flamed out quickly as “boss of all bosses” precisely because he was too loud, too flamboyant and overly narcissistic. 

Sound familiar?

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Trump versus The Great War (1914-18)

Donald Trump has conveyed a great respect for military men, except John McCain, and stressed the importance of a strong military to maintaining American hegemony. He speaks proudly of a bigger button and America’s unfathomed ability to strike our enemies.

Trump attended New York Military Academy and graduated in 1964.  His record with the draft board is well documented:

While in college from 1964 to 1968, Trump obtained four student deferments from serving in the military…. In October 1968, he was given a medical deferment which he later attributed to spurs in both heels and classified as 1-Y, "unqualified for duty except in the case of a national emergency."

Trump seemed inspired by the thought of surrounding himself with generals—savored the nickname “Mad Dog” applied to Marine General James  Mattis and made him Secretary of Defense.

Trump made John Kelly, another retired Marine general, the White House Chief of Staff. Kelly, reportedly, has reached the end of the line. Soon he will move through the spinning revolving door for cabinet members. Kelly seems rock-ribbed and stone jawed and had some success in reining in the President. 

Maybe military generals are not so much fun when you have to work with them in real life. 

Piers Morgan appeared on Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski’s daybreak television program on MSNBC. Piers was a winner on Celebrity Apprentice and claimed to spend upwards of 100 hours around the conference table with Donald Trump. Piers observed that demonstrating respect for “Mr. Trump” was essential to succeeding as a contestant on the show. Trump looked favorably on those who accorded him a measure of success. That need may have been intensified by Trump’s reputation as hustler as much as a businessman. Respect matters more to the insecure more than anything else.

The question remains why did Trump falter in Europe at the Centennial celebration for the ending of World War, fought between 1914-1918. Emmanuel Macron represented France honorably at the dais. Angela Merkel joined them, though German soldiers fought against the Allies from the other side of No Man’s Land. Vladimir Putin represented Russia and Canada’s Justin Trudeau made the important gathering.

One pundit suggested Trump didn’t like going where he is not liked—Macron, Merkel and Trudeau have also suffered the slings and arrows of the mighty Donald.

But Donald Trump looked to be in a daze. Maybe the military gravesite and rainy conditions did not suit his preferences. The decision to no-go the ceremony caused shockwaves. The image of innocent lives cut short, infantrymen ordered to head out of the trenches through the razor wire and directly into enemy fire has been burned in our psyches. Mustard gas maimed and killed in a manner we seem unable to exorcize. Like now, technology leapfrogged ahead of man’s consciousness. We were unable to control the demons we had created from steel and chemicals, hot flying lead bringing down good men and ending lives before their human potential could barely be tapped.

Trump has been criticized for a lack of intellectual curiosity. He took a misstep this time—underestimating the world’s fascination for a war mainly recalled for the unusual outbreak with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and its terrible toll. Just the name, World War I, evokes thoughts of cannon fodder and human folly. By acknowledging this past, even 100 years later, we acknowledge the existence of our sins. In this battle The Great War (1914-1918) defeated Donald Trump’s political and public relations talents.

Piers Morgan made another observation on Morning Joe,commenting on Emmanuel Macron’s relative success in dealing with Donald Trump. Macron, said Morgan, shows respect for the office of President of the United States but does not hesitate to criticize policy. Macron stated that nationalism was the opposite of patriotism during the ceremonies, drawing Trump’s ire no doubt. But Macron gave Trump credit and that is always a smart policy, with friends and foes alike. 

Trump: spinning too many plates

 If you are old enough to remember the Ed Sullivan Show you may also recall the guy, Erich Brenn, who spun many plates simultaneously. The novelty act gained traction. The man moving rapidly to keep plates spinning atop wooden poles seemed to capture something beyond simple entertainment. We watched Erich moving rapidly from plate to plate and we saw a microcosm of life itself. 

Donald Trump’s recent expansion into multiple issues has a spinning plates quality. He seems to be multi-tasking, working to attract voters and clouding the issues all at the same time. Trump is a man who much prefers campaigning to governing. He is a perpetual campaigner.

These issues include:

1)  Criss-crossing the country on Air Force One, like a newsboy proud of his new bicycle. His big rallies on behalf of Republican candidates for the House and Senate are impressive and oppressive.

2)  He calls the press “The Enemy of the People” at his rallies, even though media is his secret mistress.

3)  Trump depicts the caravan of Central Americans as “invaders” walking across Mexico on their way to the U.S. border.

4)  Claims he can sidestep the Constitution and declare babies born to illegal immigrants as non-citizens.

5)  Creating a massive tax break for the wealthy and adding massively to the national debt. Makes believe he is interested in a “middle class” tax break.

6)  Uses coded language to insult women and minority Democratic candidates—like Andrew Gillum—the African-American man running for Governor of Florida. Trump claims Gillum will turn Florida into Venezeula if elected over Trump acolyte ( read ass-kisser) Ron DeSantis.

7)  Trump declares himself a “Nationalist”—despite the anti-Semitic rally in South Carolina where a white nationalist ran over an innocent from the other side.

8)   Taking a “pass” on the opportunity to of call Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton after they received pipe bombs in the mail from a Trump supporter.

9)  Bringing Kanye West to the Oval Office in a show of support. Kanye has since begged off of politics.

10)              Traveling to Pittsburgh for the funerals, despite requests that he delay his visit.

11)               Refusing to take on the role of national healer in chief even in the wake of the murder of 12 Jewish members of the Tree of Life synagogue.

I’ll stop there at 11. That’s enough spinning plates.

A conservative, right-wing friend of mine showed me a bit of cellphone video shot in the Pittsburgh hospital where survivors of the mass killing recovered. Donald, Melanie, Jared and Ivanka were there to visit the injured. 

The Trump foursome and their retinue of bodyguards walked down a polished, clean corridor of the hospital and came across a group of ardent supporters. The small group of supporters began repeating the phrase “Thank you! Thank you!” Trump realized the compliments were directed his way.

The simplicity of the phrase “thank-you” proved irresistible. Donald approached the well-wishers. He had a blue tie, not the usual red. Maybe this was a bi-partisan fashion choice? The president, on his visit to a city hurting with the pain of anti-Semitism and horrible murder, might actually have softened in some microscopically tiny way.

Donald seemed moved. He relaxed and greeted the folks. He even extended his hand for a handshake. I hear he’s germ-phobic and this was a concession. Melanie stepped forward. “Thank-you First Lady,” said one of the fans. Melanie extended a hand. Jared and Ivanka hung back in the hallway but beamed their contentment. “We love you Ivanka,” said another. That got a laugh and more smiles.

The Trumps need love on a personal level like the rest of us. Donald savors the campaign stops and the adoring cheers and laughter of his supporters. The greetings and love in that hallway spoke volumes about the chance for humanity in every human being.

Trump Never Did Pivot

I first became aware of the word “pivot” on the high school basketball court. The pivot foot must stay stationary. You plant that foot and  spin your body in either direction to create a shot or to throw a pass. Trump never did pivot from the bellicose campaigner of the Republican primaries.

Many of us figured Donald Trump, if elected, would pivot and act serious, sober and rational, like the previous 44 presidents. It did not happen. 

Donald did not pivot. Why? He learned that his base loves the plain-spoken, blunt, insulting, bullying Donald Trump. 

The experts called for Trump to stop tweeting. Even loyal Republican supporters complained about the tweets. Trump wisely ignored the advice. He actually increased the tweeting. He now has 55,000,000 followers on Twitter. Why give that up? He can speak directly to his audience.

Donald Trump may qualify as a genius of 21^stcentury communications-- some would say an evil-genius. He gets credit as a marketing and has branded the Trump name to the heavens. His domination of cable  television, left and right, amazes all.  

Trump recognizes politics has become theater. He brilliantly turned presidential politics into a reality TV show. Real reality and the virtual reality of internet and TV become difficult to distinguish. The electronic world has become the world.

Marshall McLuhan, my favorite media philosopher, recognized the revolution in human history in the change from books and newspapers to the electronic world we now inhabit. McLuhan’s emphasis on technology met stiff opposition, especially from the academic world. Guess who won that competition? Marshall was right. The academics have remained nostalgic for print media. "Long live print media!" they seem to say. Trump baits us with "failing New York Times."

McLuhan understood the change of a deep level. He identified a basic change from “acoustic space,” the space we inhabit on our devices to “visual space”—the continuous, logical and alphabet world, the world of books. 

The multi-sensory world acoustic space of electronic media brought us back to a kind of tribal drumbeat:

“It was the space of the electric world, in which people are hit with almost random bursts of information from all sides.” (p.133)*

The pundits, the talking heads of cable TV, the cognoscenti, the journalists and presidential historians, gnash their teeth over Trump’s resistance to the norms of presidency. They seek logic, reason and a continuous narrative. Trump gives us spontaneity, equivocation, multiple versions of the same story, a revolving door of employees and speeches sounding more like standup comedy.

Trump understands McLuhan’s acoustic space. He has responds constantly, just to keep up with our speeded-up world. The pace and randomness of the information systems suits his ADHD tendencies very well. And seems to work for much of the audience.

Many long for a more peaceful presidency with less name-calling, divisiveness and partisanship. If you want to understand the new presidency-- check out the Housewives shows-- New Jersey, Atlanta, Orange County, etc. housewives. Drama is created out of seemingly nowhere. Conflict powers the narrative. Change happens quickly. Andy Cohen is the Bravo TV mogul behind the Housewives franchise. Andy holds a close second to Donald Trump when it comes to media literacy. 

Both men understand their audience. Funny how such different audiences agree of their passion for drama. Trump flourishes there. And Obama, as you may recall, had the nickname "N0 Drama Obama." 

Apparently we got tired of Obama's gentlemanly air of peace and tranquility and voted in Donald Trump,  a Tasmanian Devil of energy, manipulation and shape-shifting.

* Marshall McLuhan: The Medium and the Messenger, by: Philip Marchand